Sawyer Fredericks maintained a commanding lead for most of Season 8 of "The Voice" and emerged victorious to not only win the competition but also bring home the first win for Team Pharrell.
Fredericks stood shoulder to shoulder with his fellow Top 4 competitors - Koryn Hawthorne, Joshua Davis and Meghan Linsey - as they waited to hear who would be named "The Voice" champion. Hawthorne heard her name first, coming in fourth, followed by Davis in third and Linsey as the runner-up.
Pharrell Williams, who also celebrated his first "Voice" victory, confessed after the show how it felt to beat four-time champion coach Blake Shelton.
"I don't know if the surge of energy is about beating Blake necessarily," Williams joked during the post-show press conference. "You have to think about who [Fredericks] is, where he comes from, what he represents and what he stayed true to the entire time. He never faltered. I was able to sit back and watch him be himself. That was a pleasure to me, to not change him."
The Top 20 singers returned for the finale and gave a rousing performance, led by the Top 4 performers. The show also featured performances from hit artists Megan Trainer, Maroon 5, John Fogerty, Ed Sheeran and Cheryl Crowe as well as a special opportunity for Hawthorne to accompany Kelly Clarkson on her latest single, "Invincible."
In addition to the incredible performances, the two-hour finale packed in a few funny videos with the coaches. Christina Aguilera, who was the only coach without a competitor in the final four, won over the night (and possibly got her in some trouble) with her best impressions of music's other hit female artists including Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Miley Cyrus, Cher and Sia.
"I was amazed, she was so great in that package," host Carson Daly told reporters. "We've never seen that side of her. She unlocked and was willing to play. We always ask our artists to do that, so for one of our coaches to do that... I thought she was really funny. The Cher thing was hilarious and I don't think she'll hear from Britney in a bad way."
Keep reading for an ecstatic Fredericks' post-show interview.
How are you feeling?
Sawyer Fredericks: I'm feeling great and I kind of wanna get back to the farm and just get a bit of a break from all of this. So I'm excited to get back home.
How did you feel going into the night?
SF: I was a little nervous about singing with John Fogerty, but I was really just excited for the night. I got to see all of the Top 20 again and perform with them, so that was a fun night. It was amazing as I just didn't get to meet John Fogerty, I got to sing with him! I was so blessed to be able to sing a song with him. 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' was the second song I ever learned and I've always loved Creedence Clearwater revival and John Fogarty, so I just felt blessed.
Did you have any nerves about winning?
SF: I wasn't really nervous about winning or losing because I knew I'd be happy no matter what. I was just happy for the night.
What did you learn from Pharrell?
SF: Working with Pharrell has been amazing, period. He's just an amazing person. I learned so much from him I couldn't have asked for a better coach and I feel he's really helped me through all of this and wanted me to be true to myself. I think that's the biggest thing he wanted me to be and enjoy the music.
What did Christina say to you after the show?
SF: She said it was all my fault (laughs). I don't really know what that meant.
Have you gotten used to the idea that you're now a celebrity?
SF: No, I don't think I ever will.
Did you get to meet Ray LaMontagne and what was the conversation about having a song written for you by him like?
SF: As far as I know, the song was written for me. I got a text from Ray and he sent me one of the songs that he kind of played loose; he kind of sat and recorded it. So just getting that was amazing, just hearing his voice and I knew I was the only one getting to hear him sing this song and that was amazing.
Besides winning, what was the best part of 'The Voice' journey for you?
SF: This whole thing has been amazing and the best part was just meeting all these new people and making all these great connections with all the other contestants. There are so many great singers who are all very original, so meeting and hearing their voices and what they have to say was amazing.
What is your advice for someone wanting to audition?
SF: The biggest piece of advice is to be true to yourself and not worry about what other people think. If you enjoy music, then follow music.
After winning what was the first thing your parents said to you?
SF: My dad said he was really proud of me but I know they've always been proud of me through this whole experience and will always be proud of me no matter what.
What drew you from the farm to want to have this experience?
SF: The music.
What are you most looking forward to about your first day off?
SF: I'm hoping the day off is on the farm. I'm just excited to be able to get back to work on the farm and really take in the open space.
Are you scared about your voice changing more as you're still so young?
SF: I do worry about that because some days my head voice is gone and I have to find different notes to hit. When I was younger, I was writing songs and was singing a lot in my head voice with a very kind of angel voice. As I got older, my voice literally dropped two steps so I had to tune my guitar down and figure out how I was going to sing my songs. It was very difficult for me at that time. My voice is still changing but it's starting to settle.
Do you plan on working with anyone from this past season on your album?
SF: Most definitely! There are so many artists on the show that are amazing and a lot of them are amazing writers, so working with them would be really cool. I definitely want to work with Mia Z and I'd love to work with Noelle again as I loved our duet. It's gonna take some time to put down the list but yes, most definitely I'd love to sing with a lot of the artists on the show.
Fredericks will perform on the "Today" show on Thursday morning on NBC.
